Srinagar: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hold the second roundtable on Kashmir on Wednesday but will not separately meet Hurriyat leaders, who have decided to boycott it.
Though security had been stepped up before the Prime Minister’s arrival, a lone militant on Tuesday carried out a suicide attack by ramming an explosive-laden car into a BSF vehicle, blowing himself up and injuring 20 security personnel.
Singh is expected to chair a meeting tomorrow of the Unified Command during which army, police, para-military forces and intelligence units are expected to give their assessment of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
The separatist groups are seeking a separate meeting with the Prime Minister, though the government has made it very clear that he will not meet any group separately during his stay in Srinagar.
"There is no need for the Prime Minister to have separate meetings with any specific group when he is willing to meet all groups and all political parties at the conclave," Prime Minister's Media Adviser Sanjaya Baru said.
Reacting to the separatist groups’ decision to boycott the conference, Manmohan Singh said, "It (boycott decision) did not come to me as a surprise.They want to meet me separately. Some day they will realize that standing apart will benefit none."
Government feels that the decision by separatist groups, including two factions of Hurriyat Conference, JKLF and Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party of Shabir Shah, not to attend the meet will not affect the outcome of the conclave.
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister T K A Nair, Centre's pointman on Kashmir N N Vohra and Union Home Secretary V K Duggal would be participating in the conclave.
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